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62 AND HIS FRIENDS MADE it to the remote charging station shortly after midday. N302 plugged herself in, complaining about the state of the sentry unit they’d left behind. 62 could only imagine what kinds of punishments she was coming up with for the Oosa. In Adaline, intentionally breaking a Machine would be fatal.
They rummaged through N302’s emergency kit, snacking on the enclosed meal tabs and drinking some of the stored water. Tinnie looked toward Rattlesnake Mountain, keeping an eye out for anyone who might be heading their direction. 62 was trying to get time to go by faster by counting wild rabbits with Holly. So far, she’d counted eighteen, and he’d only found twelve. They might have been the same bunnies over and over again, but it didn’t matter. At least it was something to do.
Evening arrived, and a dust storm came with it. 62 found a large tarp in the emergency kit. He and his friends wrapped the tarp around them, using N302 as a windbreak. It worked, at least as long as the wind carried in one direction. When it started twisting in all directions though, tugging at the tarp, the three of them held on for dear life, working together to keep the small shelter in place. It was especially difficult when Tinnie opened his side to see if anyone was coming. Then, the tarp filled like a giant bubble, threatening to fly off into the night. They were relieved when the storm died down to a sporadic breeze.
It was dark when they saw the first movement from the north. A small white light darted through the shrubs. 62 didn’t know much, but he did know that coyotes and rabbits didn’t carry torches around. By the time the moon was high in the air, everyone from the jailhouse seemed to have arrived. Clovis and Ginger handed out small bits of jerky and cheese. 62 was glad for the extra meal.
Parker arrived in the last cluster of travelers. He wandered the makeshift camp, checking on people and making sure there hadn’t been any problems on the trail. Eventually, he came around to where 62 and the others had settled in beside N302.
“Funny meeting you here,” Parker joked. He sat beside Tinnie, waving off an offer of jerky from Holly.
“Are you really surprised? There’s not a whole lot of other places we could be,” Tinnie answered.
The moon dipped behind a field of clouds and 62 could hardly see Parker shake his head in the dark. “I guess not.”
“We tried calling you on the radio,” 62 said. “N302 said everybody was gone.”
Parker’s voice dropped low. “The Oosa attacked when Sunny got to town.”
“We know,” Holly said. “We saw them this morning.”
“You went there?” Parker’s voice suddenly twanged with alarm. “Did they see you?”
Tinnie shifted, slouching into further darkness against N302’s wheel. “We don’t think so. N302 wouldn’t let us get too close. She did most of the surveillance, to tell the truth.”
“What did you find out?” Parker asked, looking up at N302. His lenses glinted in the filtered moonlight.
“The enemy remains in the town of Hanford. They have not yet removed Sunny or any other females from the area.” N302’s helpful voice turned cold. “They’ve, however, begun dismantling my sentry unit.”
“They’re taking it apart?” Parker asked. “And you’re letting them do it?”
N302 lowered her head. “It is not my preferred course of action. However, I am pretending the unit is disabled. While it remains at the gate, it is able to monitor the situation.”
Parker shook his head. “I never thought I’d live to see the day.”
“Which day?” Holly asked.
“The day a bot would let itself be abused without punishing whoever was doing it.”
“Their punishment will come,” N302 promised. “It is simply being delayed.”
Parker laughed. “That’s more like it.”
“Well, since we weren’t able to hash this out over the radio, you mind filling us in on your plan?” Tinnie asked.
“Sure,” Parker said. 62 leaned in and closed his eyes to listen. “We’ve got half a dozen rifles, plus the one Holly’s been carrying. The basic plan is to swing around the northeast side of Hanford, away from the gate. We’ll try to sneak in through the burnt-out side of town until we find a building that we can get into to cover us while we get organized.”
“The library,” 62 suggested. “It’s near the ruins, and it’s a pretty big building. Not sure it’ll hold everyone, but maybe we can get into one of the empty buildings nearby, too.”
“Good suggestion. If we get that far without anybody noticing, we’ll sweep the town, building by building until we figure out where Sunny is. Once we find her, we’ll get her to safety. I’m hoping we can catch the Oosa by surprise. That’ll help even the playing field. Any idea how many are in there?”
“At present count, twenty-six armed individuals and three rapid transport vehicles have approached within view of my sentry unit,” N302 answered.
“That’s it? Maybe this won’t be as hard as I thought,” Parker said with an air of renewed confidence.
“I must warn you that as the Oosa entered the town before my arrival, I am unaware of their full population. It is possible an even greater number of individuals are occupying the area and simply haven’t entered my line of sight.”
Parker sighed. “Of course.”
“Twenty-six people means at least twenty-six guns,” Holly said warily.
Parker cleared his throat. “We have fifty-two people and seven rifles.”
“And two sentries,” Tinnie reminded him. “I’m not sure how far those wretches have gotten with taking the sentry at the gate apart, but N302 says it still has some life in it.”
“Right. Maybe the bot at the gate can create a distraction when we’re coming in the back side of town. If it keeps everyone busy, it’ll make things a lot easier on us.” Parker paused. “I did bring the handheld radio, in case we need it for something. They’ll hear us if we talk on it, but maybe we can figure out some way to use it to signal N302 if we get into trouble.”
“A pattern of button pushes,” N302 suggested.
“Sure. Who’s going to be in charge of the radio?” Tinnie asked.
“I will.” 00’s voice came out of the darkness. 62 sprang up from where he’d sat in his circle of friends and gave his brother a hug.
“Good to see you,” 62 said. He cleared his throat to mask his emotion.
“You too,” 00 said as they broke away from their hug.
“So, when do you think we’ll get this whole thing started?” Tinnie asked.
Parker lifted his chin, looking up at the overcast sky. “We’ll leave as soon as the sun’s up, to make the hike easier. We’ll push everyone to move as fast as they can so we can be outside Hanford sometime tomorrow night. Everyone will need to rest, of course. That can’t be helped, if we expect them to fight.”
“Yeah, but if we move in at night, it’ll be one more thing in our favor,” Tinnie said.
“Something to think about if we get there early enough,” Parker said. “Alright, I’m going to finish my rounds and hit the sack. You all get some rest, too.” He hauled himself up, patting Tinnie on the back as he got to his feet and walked away.
“How’s the face?” 62 asked. With his mask on, 00 looked perfectly normal, but 62 knew his cheek was probably still a mess.
“Better looking than ever,” 00 said with a laugh. “Rain says it’s probably going to leave a scar! Won’t that be awesome? I’ll look totally different from you then.”
“You actually want a scar? I’d be crying my eyes out if I were you,” Holly said. She followed Parker’s lead, getting up to take a walk before going to bed. Tinnie decided to go with her. “See you in the morning, weirdos.”
“It’s not weird to want a scar,” 00 insisted. His voice took on a nervous tone. “Is it?”
“Nah. She just doesn’t get it because she’s not a clone. I think it sounds great. Does it hurt?” 62 asked.
“Only when I smile, or chew, or talk, or frown,” 00 answered. “As long as I don’t move, it feels fine.”
62 burst into laughter and swatted 00 on the arm. He was enjoying 00’s company so much that he didn’t notice N302 lift her head and turn it toward Adaline.
“I’m receiving a location request,” N302 stated. Her head stretched even higher. “The signal is one of my own. Correction. I am receiving fifteen location requests.”
00 shook 62 by the arm in a panic to get him to stop laughing. “Did you hear that? We’ve gotta find Parker and warn him something’s coming!”
62 held back his giggles and his mask hid his smirk. He shook his head. “We’ll go find him, but don’t worry. This is a good thing.” He got up, moved close to N302, and wrapped his arms around her wheel in a hug. “You know what, N302? I love you.”
N302 lowered her head. “You have chosen an inconvenient time to express your emotions, Boy 62. What have I done to solicit such spontaneous affection?”
“Those location requests. They’re you.” He turned his head in the direction the bot had been looking. He didn’t see any lights yet, but he knew they would be glinting on the horizon soon. “N302, you’re coming to save the day.”